Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> Text Symbols?

nooneuknow

active

Joined: Wed, Apr 15, 2009
20 Posts

How do you put symbols into text, for example; centerline symbol, degree symbol, diameter symbol, plus/minus, "plate" symbol, etc.? Is there a text that contains all of these symbols?

I've searched the forums and found several threads regarding this issue but they all seem to be quite old, some as much as 3 or 4 years .  Has there been a release of Revit that has addressed this issue and doesn't require the use of microsoft UNICODE to enter symbols? If not what are the standards you guys use?

This user is offline

View Website

WWHub

site moderator|||

Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
13079 Posts

To get special ASCII characters in REVIT just hold down the ALT key while typing the numeric code for the key from your keypad.  ie: degree º (ALT 167) diameter Ø (ALT 0216). 

This user is offline

nooneuknow

active

Joined: Wed, Apr 15, 2009
20 Posts

So there is no other way? Hmm... seems a bit cumbersome but okay.  What text font does everyone use? Are there any that contain commonly used symbols? I've read somewhere that "@ Arial Unicode MS" has most symbols but they all look a little weird.

This user is offline

View Website

jarosa

active

Joined: Mon, Feb 18, 2008
251 Posts

Windows Start Menu > Run > type "charmap" select and copy special characters. Paste into open Revit text box. I use Arial and ARchitxt. Most fonts have special characters.

John

This user is offline

View Website

jaff

active

Joined: Sun, Apr 19, 2009
6 Posts

I agree with you nooneuknow the text in revit is cumbersome, not userfriendly I was hoping that in RAC2010 which is the one I am using will make some changes abouit it but not. I was hoping that it will be like the mtext in AutoCAD. Check out the attached file, I imported and dwg file into rvt to see how the text will appear and you will see that diameter symbol shows a square.

By the way you can copy the font which is the one I use in all the projects.

This user is offline

nooneuknow

active

Joined: Wed, Apr 15, 2009
20 Posts

jaff,

Thank you for your response.  It is unbelievable to me how basic and crude the annotation in Revit is.  Even the simple task of adding notes with leaders is way too difficult.  The addition of mtext and multileaders would be greatly appreciated but until then I guess we'll just have to settle.

 Unfortunately I was unable to open the file you provided.  I am using Revit '09 and the file could not be opened in my older version.

This user is offline

View Website

WWHub

site moderator|||

Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
13079 Posts

REVIT's notes are 100% easier to do then AutoCAD's!

Every REVIT note is a "mtext" style of note and every REVIT note can have multiple leaders on either or both sides of the note..... 

LOOK AT YOUR OPTIONS BAR ! Every new REVIT user needs to keep reminding themselves that the options bar is constantly changing with the operation.  Start a note command and the left/right alignment as well as the leaders is on the options bar.  Click on any note and add/remove leaders is on the options bar!!!!

As far as multiline text... your window for the text defines how long the line is before the text wraps to the next line.  No need to put in returns (but you can).

This user is offline

jaff

active

Joined: Sun, Apr 19, 2009
6 Posts

nooneuknow,

I was trying to save the rvt file I sent you earlier as an earlier revit version but it is not possible. I'll see if I can figure out a way to send you the font. But if you look at the images below you can see the text I use and if you have it already let me know if you dont I'll find out a way to get it to you.

Attached Images

This user is offline

jaff

active

Joined: Sun, Apr 19, 2009
6 Posts

WWHub,

So. you say "REVIT's notes are 100% easier to do then AutoCAD's!" How do you use bullets or numbering system in text box with several paragraphs? How do you insert a left or right indent? Please see the images below.

Thanks

Attached Images

This user is offline

jarosa

active

Joined: Mon, Feb 18, 2008
251 Posts

Looks like ARchitxt.

I attached the file.

Thanks,

John

This user is offline

View Website

WWHub

site moderator|||

Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
13079 Posts

jaff, I said notes - not text editing.  nooneuknow was asking about notes "with leaders".  That is a much simple process in REVIT than it ever was in CAD and the notes are associated with the leader!   

BTW - AUTOCAD's  mtext will not import as multiline REVIT text.

Why do you expect a shx font file's import symbols to be recognized as the correct symbols using a TTF file?  There was no standard for shx files.  Use a TTF in CAD and import that.

This user is offline

nooneuknow

active

Joined: Wed, Apr 15, 2009
20 Posts

WWHub,

I definitely agree with jaff.  It is much easier to add a note, or for that matter any sort of text in AutoCAD.  I don't know how you could even deny this fact.  The text editor in AutoCAD is far superior. 

I'm assuming you've never used AutoCAD's "multileader" function because it is much more intuitive than Revit's.  Using multileader you are able to create a text box (with auto word wrapping), type in your text (justify, underline, bold, indent, add bullets, numbering, add columns, adjust line spacing, size and color of text, or any other option you can imagine), and then pick where the leader head should point using your snap points.  It's that easy. If you want to add another leader head, just right-click and select "add leader".  You can change the leader heads as well. Best of all if you need to move the text, you click and drag it anywhere and the leader's stay with the text.  If you move it to the opposite side of a detail, no need for changing the justification of the text, AutoCAD does it for you.

Revit is too limiting.  You have 3 justification options and virtually no control over text format.  Revit's leader's don't even have snap points! Being a little OCD this is my biggest pet peave of creating details in Revit! In general the details I create in Revit are much sloppier looking than AutoCAD details and I wish Revit would incorporate some of the text editing features used in AutoCAD, I think it would make for a much more efficient work flow and a much smoother transition for all of us AutoCAD users.

This user is offline

View Website

WWHub

site moderator|||

Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
13079 Posts

First - I started with AutoCAD 2.6 in the 80's and used it almost every work day until 3 years ago.  I did full 3D using layer control back when AutoCAD's menu was on the right.  I had written most of my own lisp routines so that I had my own ADT before ADT then I also used ADT when it came out.  I even had my own text editor program back then because AutoCAD's was awful. 

I fully agree that REVIT's text editing sucks....BUT

AutoCAD's note leaders SUCK's as well!  Nothing intuitive there!  Leaders are not associated with notes - what you point to is not associated with the leader. 

• REVIT -click on the note and add leader ... VOILA - adjust end Done! ... want another ... click, adjust end/done! want one at the other end ... click, adjust end/done!  AND WOW - move your note and the leader moves with them ... but wait - oh the pointer stays where you pointed to
• ... and what do you have to do in CAD .. duh ... you have to croos the leaders with the notes to move then re-adjust all the arrows.

AND AutoCAD's text editor has become a pain in the curse!   Click on a text box and wait FOREVER!  And why in the hell is there a difference in MTEXT vs any other text!  Both should be the same.  Move any text in CAD and try to align it... oh yea - that's another operation.  BTW - The new ribbon seems to take care of some of the text issues.

There are issues with REVIT and text is probably the biggest but I will never go back to AutoCAD for architectural work.  That would be stupid!  I'll live with the text problem and the other issues I have with REVIT and I am HAPPY!

It's OK - When you guys post ones like these, we recognize that either you are a hardcore AutoCAD user that can't convert or you just haven't gotten to the point where you slap yourself on the side of the head and say "WOW - that is really easy - why am I fighting this?"  ... you will get there if your open to the REVIT thought process.

This user is offline

nooneuknow

active

Joined: Wed, Apr 15, 2009
20 Posts

WWHUB:

I'm not sure where you're getting this:

"AutoCAD's note leaders SUCK's as well!  Nothing intuitive there!  Leaders are not associated with notes - what you point to is not associated with the leader...

• ... and what do you have to do in CAD .. duh ... you have to croos the leaders with the notes to move then re-adjust all the arrows."

Because neither of these things are true.  First off leaders ARE associated with notes when using the "multileader" function.  You can move the text anywhere and the leader will follow. Not only will it follow but the leader will automatically adjust which side of the text it's on based on the relationship between the location of the text and the leader head.

As far as associating the leader head with components, try typing DIMASSOC in the command prompt and set it to 2.  Now any time you snap a leader head or a dimension string to a snap point it is locked to that point.  If it's snapped to a section of a W-Beam and the beam moves, the leader head moves with it.

You go on to say:

"AND AutoCAD's text editor has become a pain in the curse!   Click on a text box and wait FOREVER!  And why in the hell is there a difference in MTEXT vs any other text!  Both should be the same.  Move any text in CAD and try to align it... oh yea - that's another operation.  BTW - The new ribbon seems to take care of some of the text issues."

I am unsure why you have to "wait FOREVER!" when you click on a text box but that does not happen to me, it takes literally a split second to open the text editor.  I am unsure what you mean by, why the hell is there a difference in MTEXT and any other text". If you're referring to the fact that there is single line text and multiline text than you, better than anyone, should know that single line text is a legacy text from earlier versions of AutoCAD. I don't know anyone who still uses it anyway. And if you're referring to why mtext is different than leadered text than who cares? What difference does it make if leadered text and regular multiline text is contained within the same function.  I can't even remember a time I wanted to add a leader to regular multiline text and if I did I would just take the 1 second extra to open the mtext, hit CTRL+C, and then click multileader and hit CTRL+V. As far as aligning text, all AutoCAD text boxes have snap points at all four corners and can be used in conjuction with ortho tracking or object snap tracking to align text with anything.

You call us AutoCAD fanboys, but you are the one in denial about the infancy of the Revit software.  I'm not saying Revit doesn't have alot of potential, but in my opinion it has along way to go before it's anywhere near the efficiency of AutoCAD to produce construction documents.

This user is offline

View Website

WWHub

site moderator|||

Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
13079 Posts

This is really off topic - the posts I was responding were to help you with your lack of REVIT knowledge regarding leaders and notes so unless you have more questions this will be my last post on REVIT/ AutoCAD comparisons.

Your right ... if you start with a multil-leader command the leader is associated with the text... so I have just some multi-line text and I want to add an associated leader ... how?   I click on the text - no options to add a leader in the ribbon - no options with a right click.  So...where is your intuitive answer?

True REVIT is just an infant but your comments suggest you are just a Revit infant and you still have a ways to go ... documentation is way easier than CAD once you quit trying to make it be CAD and take advantage of what it does.

Good luck!

This user is offline

Text symbols [ 1 2 ]

18

text symbols

5

symbols in text

3

The ability of adding text or symbols into line patterns

7

Text Styles

3